A landlord 'almost died' after being repeatedly stabbed by a knife-carrying teenager during a pub row.
Brendan Wilson, 44, the landlord of the Brooks Arms in Moldgreen , was knifed at least three or four times in the attack two months ago .
He suffered horrendous injuries and underwent life-saving surgery at Leeds General Infirmary to repair damage to his abdomen which pierced his bowel and pancreas.
Now a judge at Bradford Crown Court has agreed to lift a reporting restriction which previously banned the identification of Mr Wilson’s attacker because he was under 18 ... and then jailed the thug for more than five years.
He told 17-year-old Joel Shooter that if he had been an adult he would have been jailed for at least 12 years.
But his victim last night slammed the five-year sentence as an insult and said the 12-year sentence should've been applied.
Mr Wilson said: "I could’ve died.
“He should have been sentenced as an adult, so 12 years.
“I’m still traumatised by what happened and I don’t know when or if that will ever go away. It is an insult.”
Judge Mushtaq Khokhar heard that Shooter regularly carried knives for his own protection after seeing his brother stabbed and in the early hours of May 8 he pulled out a kitchen knife with a 10ins blade after getting involved in an argument in the pub.
The court heard that after being told to leave the pub Shooter, of School Street, Moldgreen, confronted Mr Wilson outside and stabbed him.
Prosecutor David McGonigal said the victim initially thought he had been punched, but was rushed to hospital with stab injuries.
He had two spells in hospital after the attack and in his victim impact statement he described how he had difficulty sleeping and suffered constant flashbacks.
“He’s no idea when he will recover, if he ever will,” said Mr McGonigal.
He said Mr Wilson and his wife were thinking of moving away and added: ”It’s a significant and substantial change to both their lives.”
Shooter, who was said to have been drinking and taking cocaine that night, was already on bail at the time of the attack for a previous offence of attempted robbery committed with his 20-year-old brother Leon last November.
The brothers were both convicted of the attempted robbery offence following a trial at Leeds Crown Court and Joel Shooter had also pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in relation to the attack on Mr Wilson.
Judge Khokhar sentenced Joel Shooter to 64 months detention with an extended licence period of three years after a report concluded that the teenager was dangerous.
Shooter received a concurrent sentence of 18 months for the attempted robbery and his brother Leon, who had been on licence living in a Dewsbury hostel, was sentenced to three years in a young offender institution for his leading role in that incident.
Judge Khokhar told Joel Shooter that he had stabbed Mr Wilson at least three times, if not four, and the attack was indiscriminate as to where the knife entered his body.
“It is sheer good fortune on the part of the victim that the injuries which he sustained, serious as they are, weren’t worse,” said the judge.
“It’s quite clear from what he says it’s going to take a while before he recovers, if at all.”
Speaking after the hearing Mr Wilson said: “I had a chest drain for two weeks because my pancreas had leaked but the surgeons were happy the operation was a success. I then got an infection and spent another week recovering in Huddersfield.
“I’m now on medication for a blood clot on my leg.”
And it’s not just the physical injuries of the horrific attack which have had a devastating impact on his life.
He recalls: “I’m still struggling. If one of my mates comes up behind me and taps me on the shoulder I’m jumpy. It’s horrible.
“I see his (Shooter’s) face in my head all the time and can’t sleep because of thinking of what he did to me.
“It’s affected me massively. I’m not sleeping. I’m struggling.”
“I was angry but now I don’t feel as much resentment.
“I know his family so I’m torn. I just wish it hadn’t happened.”
Brendan added: “I didn’t know he was on bail. I think the courts are too lenient.
“There is a problem with knife crime both in Huddersfield and everywhere. It’s getting ridiculous. You don’t expect somebody to come into your local boozer with a knife.”
Brendan has been supported throughout his ordeal by wife Jody who co-runs the Brooks Arms.
“I’m still questioning whether I want to run the pub but Jody will still carry on,” he said.
Brendan hopes the sentence although not as tough as he’d hoped will bring him closure and is planning a fundraising event for Leeds General Infirmary intensive care due to the ‘amazing care’ he received.
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Mrs Wilson added: “My husband pushed me out of the way and then pushed the guy to the door. I shouted ‘he’s got a knife’ but I’m not sure if he heard me, then the guy just pulled the knife and stabbed him.”
She went into shock after seeing such a traumatic incident and wasn’t sure how many times Brendan had been stabbed but fortunately a regular customer stepped in and gave vital first-aid.
She added: “It was a blur. I was in bits. Another guy who knows first-aid stepped in and paramedics were here really quickly. I went with him in the ambulance.
“It wasn’t until later that I found out he had been stabbed in four separate places and it hit his bowel and kidney.
“He’s had emergency surgery and it was touch and go. I honestly thought I’d lost him so the relief after the surgery was unreal.
